


Exceeding Expectations

by viperscreed



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Dipper's gonna turn a bitch into a tree, Hades/Persephone AU, M/M, demon!dipper, its gonna be great!, will start with normal genitals definitely won't end that way, will start with top!Bill won't end with top!Bill
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-24
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-03-25 14:15:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3813598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viperscreed/pseuds/viperscreed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bill always knew the boy had potential but he never imagined the beast Dipper would become.<br/> Honestly he couldn't be more smitten.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Proposal

Dipper grumbled unhappily as he pushed through the thick underbrush of the forest. Autumn had hit Gravity Falls like a left hook and the monster hunter wanted to get in one more exploration before it became too cold. He however had underestimated how cold the day would get, hadn’t dressed appropriately and was currently freezing.

A strange warmth passed over his head and Dipper looked up just in time to see smoky blue wisps disappear behind thick pine branches. He ran to the other side of the tree, a few creatures already running through his mind as he prepared to identify whatever had floated above. The creature he saw was one he recognized despite not remembering ever seeing it in the journals. A small glowing figure emitting blue mist levitated through the trees, seemingly unaware of the obstacles.

A Will-o-wisp.

Dipper quickly dropped his bagged and while frantically looking back up at the wisp then back at his bag pulled out his journal. He carefully scribbled away as he walked after the wisp, taking small varies notes. From what he understood Will-o-wisps usually only appeared near swamps, perhaps this one was lost.

The Will-o-wisp provided a strange warmth as Dipper walked beneath them. The monster hunter tried to communicate but the wisp ignored him, staying focused on whatever goal it had. A sudden bright golden light momentarily blinded Dipper and when his vision returned the wisp was gone. He hurried forward in hopes that he could catch up with the little wisp and get more notes only to run into something he hadn’t seen, both of them falling to the ground.

“The hell?” Dipper groaned as he recovered from his fall when he looked down he was greeted by another man grinning up at him. Dipper cursed and practically flung himself back off of the man. “Who are you?”

The man was clearly smaller then Dipper with dark brown skin and wild two-toned hair, a blond puff on top with black microbraids following the curve of his skull. The man’s eyes were bizarre as well, his left a deep brown while the right was a light blue and seemingly a little off center.

“Are you saying you don’t recognize me Pine Tree, and here I thought I made this flesh suit distinguishable enough.” Dipper would recognize that voice anywhere and his face switched back and forth between horror and confusion.

“What the fuck Bill, where’d you get a human body?” Dipper demanded reaching into the pocket of his vest.

“I made it, weren’t you listening?” Bill responded and his hand shot out to catch Dipper’s wrist. He gingerly removed the bottle of anointed water from the other’s grasp and tossed it into a nearby bush. “Come now, we can be civil.”

“What do you want Cipher?” Dipper growled.

“Well that’s more of a matter of whom.” Bill answered and before Dipper could ask any further questions lunged forward to grab fistfuls of the other man’s vest and they were enveloped in a warm, golden glow.

As quickly as the light appeared it was gone and Dipper was pushing the demon off of him. The monster hunter stood but before he could yell at the demon he was struck by the realization that he wasn’t in Gravity Falls anymore. The trees were old, gnarled oaks that were cartoony in how sinister they looked and that wasn’t to mention the lack of color.

“Bill, where are we?” Dipper demanded.

“The mindscape.” Bill answered simply as he levitated back to his feet.

“I gathered that but whose mindscape?”

“Earth’s.” The demon chirped. “Well, technically it’s a universal plane but your universe doesn’t have much in the way aliens.”

Dipper paused taking a moment to gather his thoughts and composure. The demon dragging him into the mindscape wasn’t new but Earth’s mindscape was.

“Bill you can’t just drag me into the mindscape like this my body is probably freezing to death.” Dipper griped. He turned away from the demon and tried to summon a portal out but nothing happened.

“It’s gonna take a lot more than that to get out of here kid and your body’s right here don’t be such a worrywart.” Bill said and poked Dipper in his side making him jump.

“You pulled my actual body into the mindscape, how?” The monster hunter asked incredulously.

“Well I can’t tell you that now, you’ll just leave. Come on I have something to show you.” The demon grabbed Dipper’s wrist and started pulling him through the trees before he had a chance to protest.

Bill released the other when they burst past the tree line and past a long stretch of absurdly dark grass a castle came into view. At least Dipper assumed it was a castle as it was either that or an architect got drunk and scribbled on a napkin. The building was a simple block shape with four rectangular windows and a large lopsided door. On the right side a crooked tower ascended dizzyingly high into the stormy sky and a dim light shined through the small window at the tower’s peak.

“Is this where you live?” Dipper inquired as they approached the moat that surrounded the castle.

“Kinda, I’m mostly just squatting here.” The demon answered and with the flick of his wrist the castle bridge dropped. Dipper followed Bill onto the bridge but stopped when he saw some movement in the water.

“What is that?”

“It’s a leopard shark!” Bill answered. “Isn’t he the cutest thing?”

“He can barely swim.” Dipper said looking down at the shark headed leopard that was paddling towards them, the creature flashed his teeth in an attempt to be threatening.

“I know!” Bill squealed. “He just appeared here one morning.”

“You didn’t bring me here to show me weird dream abominations did you?” Dipper inquired and Bill grinned.

“As perceptive as always kid, but I’m not done showing you around.” The demon responded and with a sigh Dipper followed him, leaving the leopard shark to chew at the edge of the bridge.

As they stood before the castle doors Dipper could hear chains hitch and creak pulling the doors open. The foyer was surprisingly normal, holding none of the eldritch horror he had expected and shape-wise was seemingly unaffected by the castle’s odd architecture. The foyer was neatly decorated and Dipper was a little frustrated that he couldn’t fully appreciate it as he couldn’t see any of it in color.

“Okay so what do you want to explore first, the left hall leads to the dinning hall, the right leads to the library, up and to the left leads to the sleeping chambers and across from that will take you straight to the tower.” Bill explained, there were of course other things in the castle but those were the major attractions.

“I want to know why you dragged me here.” Dipper answered and Bill deflated.

“Fine, I wanted us to have a nice evening together beforehand but whatever.”

Much to Dipper’s surprise the demon dropped to one knee and fished something out of his pocket. The demon flashed the man a grin as he held up a ring of petrified wood that was striped with amber.

“I wish to make a companion of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Let's get this started!
> 
> 'Welcome to my secret lair on Skullcrusher Mountain' - Skullcrusher Mountain by Jonathan Coulton


	2. Chapter 2

“You can’t stay in there forever kid.” 

“Like hell I can’t!” Dipper yelled as he paced back and forth in the small sitting room he had locked himself into. The ring Bill had offered him sat on the coffee table, mocking him with every shimmer of light that sparkled off of the amber. A demon who loved causing nightmares giving him amber, he almost wanted to laugh. 

“Just say yes and this’ll be easier on everyone.” Bill responded and crossed his arms.

“Why, so you can keep me as some sort of pet, fuck no!” Dipper yelled.

The demon sighed and looked down at his bare wrist, after a moment he reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. 

“Listen, I have an appointment to get to so… think it over and remember, I literally have all the time in the world.” Bill chirped before disappearing.  
Dipper pressed his ear up against the door and listened for any sign of the demon. When he heard nothing he unlocked the door and poked his head out into the hall, once secure that Bill had actually left he stepped out into the hall. 

The monster hunter ducked back into the sitting room and snatched the ring, perhaps he could find a place to dispose of it, that would send Bill the message. The ring felt like it was burning a hole in his back pocket as Dipper left the room again.

Within moments Dipper was hopelessly lost in the castle halls. He swung doors open at random looking for a way out but none of them opened up into anything noteworthy. Other than the one door that opened up to stone wall but the wall had been solid and Dipper just wanted to get out of this place.

He grumbled as he opened a door and was shocked to find it led to a dimly lit spiral staircase. He quickly realized it must have lead up to the tower, he considered leaving this door as well as there was no way he’d be able to leave the castle from a tower that high but one could imagine that a ring tossed from that height would get lost very easily if not broken. Dipper started up the stairs with some new pep in his step.

Dipper wasn’t sure how long he had been going up those steps but by the time he reached the top he was exhausted. He groaned as he stood on the top step and panted lightly as he walked over to the tower’s single window. The monster hunter reached into his pocket but as he searched for the ring he caught a look at the view outside the window. There was only about a mile of woods beyond the castle and past that were rolling hills to one side and a sprawling, clean looking city to the other. He moved closer to the window to get a better view, he leaned out a little to try and see what else was there.

“Nice view, huh?” Dipper jumped as Bill’s voice suddenly came from behind him. 

Dipper screamed and instinctively backed away from the window causing him to bump into the floating demon before he whirled around, backing into the windowsill. His hand flew over to cover his heart, the other steadying himself on the window as he looked Bill over with wide eyes. The demon didn’t look any different than earlier save for the few red spots on his shirt collar. 

“When did you get here?” Dipper asked his chest heaving with his breaths.

“A few seconds ago, my appointment got out early.” Bill answered following Dipper’s gaze to his collar, he made a small sound of realization before reaching up rubbing the spots between his thumb and fingers making the spots disappear. With his clothing fixed he looked back at Dipper with a grin.  
Dipper quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring but just as he was about to toss it he found his grip was empty. He blinked in confusion as he brought his hands down to pat at his pockets while his eyes scoured the floor for it. His gaze rose back to the demon when Bill cleared his throat, holding up his black tipped fingers to show he now held the ring. Dipper bristled when Bill gently took his hand and pressed the ring into his palm, the demon’s face uncharacteristically gentle.

“Come on Pine Tree, give me a chance to prove myself.” Bill pleaded doing his best to pull off puppy eyes.

“You’re trying to manipulate me aren’t you?” Dipper quickly accused, his eyes narrowing as he tried to read the other’s face. The demon just gave a noncommittal shrug.

“Does that necessarily mean I’m going to hurt you?” Bill asked leaning a little closer. Dipper supposed someone could manipulate another without hurting them but that didn’t stop him from scowling at the demon.

“Well, this is you we’re talking about.” Dipper responded and Bill made a dismissive noise giving a little wave of his hand.

“I can be gentle, here I’ll show you.” The demon moved quickly dodging behind Dipper and covering the other’s eyes with his hands. Dipper reached up to remove Bill’s hands but ended up smacking himself in the face as the demon had let him go before he could do anything. He groaned as he recovered and opened his eyes, he gasped softly at what he saw.

Sprawling out before the young man was an elegantly built and expansive library the like of which he had only ever seen pictures of. He took a few small steps forward not sure where to begin or if what he saw was even real.

“As a sign of good faith I’d like to give you full access to all the knowledge I possess.” Bill said and with a wave of his hand a book floated down within reach of Dipper. It was a small, black book titled ‘Demons & Companions’ in simple, white text. “Starting with this, I know you like making informed decisions.”

Dipper grabbed the book and started flipping through it surprised all of it seemed to be in English. He turned back to the index at the front and despite being thin the book promised a lot of information about varies aspects of ‘Companionship’. 

“Why are you letting me have this?” Dipper asked eyeing the demon critically.

“You’re smart you’ll figure it out.” Bill answered and lightly tapped the other on the forehead. Dipper blinked as he felt a weird surge through his mind and he suddenly ‘remembered’ that there was food from his world in the kitchen and how to get to said kitchen. Bill stiffened a bit suddenly some power tingling up his spine as he felt his being be pulled at, he was being summoned.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it!” The demon chimed before disappearing leaving Dipper to stand alone in silence.

Dipper looked around for a moment quickly spotting an old record player displayed next to the stairs with a box of vinyls beside it. He looked through the old record and didn’t recognize a single song or artist, after a while he just chose one and started up the player. The song that played was a gentle instrumental piece that echoed softly throughout the room. 

He sat in a nearby chair and opened the book Bill had given him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm so happy to be working on this again!
> 
> "Who's gonna ride the devil's train tonight?" - Devil's Train by The Lab Rats


	3. Chapter 3

Dipper wasn’t sure how long he had been there but it felt like barely any time had passed when he closed the book. He set the book down in his lap and rubbed his face with his hands, the book had been very enlightening but now the question was why.

 “So, what do you say?” Dipper jumped at the sound of Bill’s voice and brought his hands down so he could see the demon floating before him. The demon looked a little disheveled but there was no sign of blood on him this time.

“Why me?” Bill grinned at the question.

“Oh there are lots of reasons but in short I like you kid and besides,” Bill snapped his fingers and a mirror formed between the two, the demon floated around behind Dipper and pushed up his hats and bangs to reveal his birthmark. “You’re blessed by the stars kid, you were born for this kind of power.”

Dipper sat up a little straighter as he stared at his reflection, his chest puffing out a little bit. He suddenly tore himself from the demon’s grasp, the mirror dissipated as he walked through it and he turned to face Bill as he pulled his hat down.

“No, I have read enough stories to know immortality is a terrible idea.” He stated firmly and Bill’s grin pulled down into a frown. The demon touched his fingertips together and floated around the chair so he could stand before the human.

“Ah yes a terrible idea cause you’d stay young while everyone you care about grows old and dies, not that it will save anyone any grieving.” Bill said looking at the other seemingly unimpressed. He didn’t understand why mortals today gave themselves such little credit, humans were amazing at recovering and adapting they could definitely handle immortality. “Well staying mortal would save you all the grieving since out of everyone you know you were supposed to die first.”

“What do you mean by ‘were’?” Dipper asked his brown eyes widening.                     

“You were supposed to die an hour ago, you were going to follow that wisp right into a bear trap were you would have died of hypothermia and blood loss. Funny how life can just end, isn’t it?” Bill chuckled lowly as he watched Dipper’s features pale. The idea of Mabel grieving for him or even worse discovering his body in the woods caused a sickening knot in Dipper’s gut. He shook his head a little, it hadn’t happened and he’d make sure it wouldn’t happen anytime soon.

“The answer is still no, I’m not giving up my family to play house with you.” Dipper stood firm, meeting the demon’s mismatched eyes evenly. Bill couldn’t help the small smile that pulled at his lips, the fire that the young man held was just what drew the demon to him. Bill circled the man and laid his hands on the other’s shoulders.

“Listen, Pine Tree, once the transformation goes through there really isn’t anything I can force you to do, I mean I’ll be stronger then you since I’m older but if you want to play the Pines’ family guardian angel I can’t stop you.” The demon promised and he could feel Dipper’s resolve weaken as the human rolled the idea around in his head.

“I don’t know.” Dipper said quietly, his brow furrowed. Bill and the book were promising Dipper so much power and knowledge, the temptation was overwhelming but cautionary tales rang in his ears and the demon was not someone to be trusted.

“Boy did the atmosphere in here get heavy of is it just me?” Bill laughed whirling around to grab Dipper’s hands. He yanked the other’s hands and pulled him along as Bill led him toward the library doors.

“Where are you dragging me to now?” Dipper inquired following Bill without resistance.

“I’m going to show you something.” The demon answered.

Dipper was going to inquire further but he blinked and found himself in an entirely different room, it was dim and filled to the rafters with items Dipper had never seen before. Bill let Dipper’s hands slide from his grip as the human wandered away from him to look at a shelf lined with jars. Each container held either a piece of or an entire specimen floating in a variety of different colored fluids, some of the specimens actually hurt Dipper’s eyes to look at. One small jar was covered with a cloth, Dipper reached up to lift the fabric and yelped when Bill’s clawed fingers suddenly wrapped around his wrist.

“Gorgon eyes, you’re not going to want to look at them while you’re still mortal.” Bill explained as he released the other. Dipper looked between the demon and the concealed jar, he had never encountered a gorgon before and had no idea that their eyes were still dangerous even when detached, fascinating.

“Why do you have all this stuff?” Dipper asked glancing around the room again, most of what he saw didn’t seem flashy enough to warrant the demon’s attention.

“What can I say, I’m kinda sentimental.” Bill shrugged and was tempted to show Dipper a bit of skull he might recognize but decided against it, it was too soon.

“So they’re trophies?” Dipper looked at the items more critically, feeling a bit differently about the room now. Bill floated up to the top of a tall shelf and rummaged around for a few moments before responded to Dipper’s inquiry.

“Some of them are, like this one.” He dropped something and Dipper held out his hands to catch it. A claw fell into his palms, the point of it was black and it paled to a bone white at the base. Dipper turned the claw over between his fingers and quickly noticed tiny, backwards facing prongs inside the claws curve.

“A gryphon claw?” The mortal questioned looking up at the descending demon.

“Yep, I fought one when I younger and that came off in my hide.”  Bill explained, smiling a bit at the memory. He really had been a baby of a demon when he got into that fight, he didn’t even know what kind of demon he was at the time it made him want to laugh looking back on it. “I thought you’d find it useful.”

“Why would I find it useful?” Dipper inquired and narrowed his eyes at the demon. There were only a handful of uses for a gryphon’s claws and talons.

“Oh don’t be like that kid, it’s just that I know you haven’t eaten in several hours and I want to make you dinner but I also knew that you’d assume I’d do something sketchy.” Bill answered grinning at the other.

“Well, you weren’t wrong.”  Dipper responded and looked back down at the claw in his hand, he gently pressed the pad of his thumb against the prongs, it felt real enough to him.

“Then we’re good to go right?” Bill asked hopefully. Dipper mouth formed a thin line and he sighed when his stomach started to protest.

“Fine but if you feed me anything weird I swear to god I’ll banish you.” He threatened though there wasn’t much bite to it and the demon grinned.

“No promises.” Bill laughed and tipped Dipper’s hat down over his face.

“Hey!” Dipper yelped and he quickly righted it, he honestly wasn’t surprised this time when he found himself standing in a large dining hall. The hall was dimly lit with candles and the table present though appropriate for two people was far too small for the room. On the table was single plate of food, two champagne glasses and a bottle sitting in ice.

“So you’re not eating?” Dipper inquired and cleared his throat awkwardly.

“I don’t need ‘food’, this stuff is from your world anyway it would go right through me.” Bill chuckled as he strode over to the chair before the full plate, pulling it out and looking back at Dipper expectantly. Once Dipper moved to stand beside the table he pushed the chair forward almost touching the back of the human’s legs before walking around to take his seat. He snapped his fingers and the bottle lifted itself out of the ice and poured its contents into the two glasses.

“So why exactly do you want a companion?” Dipper asked as he glanced down at his food, it looked delicious. He sat the gryphon claw on the table next to the plate and watched it for a moment, it did nothing. He picked up his fork and picked at the food on his plate, skewering what he assumed was a bit of chicken.

“As fun as it is to talk to myself I don’t really get a lot out it and as I said earlier you have great potential but enough about me, what have you been up to recently?” Bill inquired picking up his glass and leaning back comfortably in his chair.

“Me, uh, I’ve been doing my usual thing.” Dipper answered and popped a forkful of pasta into his mouth.

“You didn’t visit last year, did something happen?” The demon probed further taking a sip from his glass.

“I tried to go to college.” He responded and waited for the demon to jeer him whether it was for not going directly after highschool or for not finishing. The demon stared at him blankly for a few moments before suddenly making a sound of realization.

“College right, I forget these things sometimes, well it’s good to know you’ve been exercising your brain on your own time.” Bill said and laughed, it was a light and genuine sound.

“You just forgot what a college is?” Dipper replied, a small scoff of laughter rising out of his throat.

“It’s hard to remember everything when you’re as old as I am.” Bill defended himself grinning at the other man.

The two easily slid into a playful conversation, Dipper completely forgetting his meal at times until his stomach reminded him that it wasn’t satisfied yet. Thankfully in the mindscape his food wouldn’t go cold or rot and once again Dipper found himself loosing track of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Come on Dipper, you can't expect him to remember everything all the time! Bill's never even gone to college.  
> Also for all you peeps, I'll be uploading new chapters on Sundays!
> 
> 'Then somebody bends, unexpectedly.' - Tale as Old as Time, Disney's Beauty and the Beast


	4. Chapter 4

“Bill, exactly how long have I been here?” Dipper inquired as the pair walked down a hall, the demon was giving him a proper tour of the castle. Dipper had spotted a couple of clocks during their walk but the time they displayed changed drastically every time he looked at them so he had given up on using them.

“Not too long.” Bill responded smiling over at the human. He paused suddenly, there was the tingle and pull of a summon but it was far more powerful than the usual call and Bill quickly found himself teleporting against his will.

He reappeared in a dark room, dimly lit with a handful of candles. Bill felt something pierce his abdomen and looked down to see a rope leading into his body, it didn’t hurt the demon but it had been startling. The demon’s moved back instinctively in surprise and he swung his arm back, his elbow knocked into the force field that was put in place by the protections surrounding the summoning circle.

“Where’s my brother?” The demon looked up when he heard the demand to see a woman holding a gun like contraption being held back by an elderly man.

 “Mabel you’re going put out the candles!” The man barked as she thrashed in his arms. Mabel huffed and calmed enough that he let her go though she didn’t for a moment stop glaring at the demon.

“Alright Bill, where is Dipper?” Bill turned to the third voice and grinned.

“Stanford, it’s been awhile, you don’t look so good!” Bill laughed as he pulled the rope though his side and tossed it onto the floor. Stanford glared up at the floating demon, even in the dark the heavy bags under his eyes were visible and he held a journal in one of his large hands.

“Answer the question.” Stanford demanded and Bill held up his hands defensively.

“I can assure you he’s fine, I’ve been taking good care of the kid.” The demon promised and his words only seemed to upset the humans around him even more. He rolled his eyes, it had been less than twenty-four hours if he had planned to hurt the kid he would have been over by now.

“What do we have to do to get him back?” Mabel asked a pleading look on her face as she stepped forward. Bill rubbed his chin and considered each of the adults in front of him, he’d give the Pines one thing they watched out for their own. After a few moments he grinned and clapped his hands together.

“Sorry but Pine Tree isn’t for sale.” The demon chuckled and Mabel’s face fell. “Now that that’s settled, you can let me out of here.”

“We’re not letting you go until you give him back.” Stanford said firmly and Bill let out a bark of laughter.

“You can do whatever you want but these candles will go out before you get me to give him up.” Bill laughed glancing down at the tall candles around the summoning circle. They were new and would take a long time to burn out but it wouldn’t be much of a wait for an ancient demon like him.

“We’ll do anything.” Stanley added and the wording made the demon hum thoughtfully. Bill leaned back comfortably in the small space he was allowed, intertwining his fingers behind his head as he looked the humans over again they each looked deliciously desperate in their own way.

“Tempting, really it is, but the answer is still no.” He responded and closed his eyes as he got cozy. He cracked his brown eye open when he heard the humans whispering amongst themselves. He gave a bored sigh and reached up to his other eye socket to pull out the false blue one, he started tossing it between his hands in an attempt to amuse himself. He couldn’t extend his magic outside of the circle while the protections were in place and it was getting a little frustrating being stuck there while he knew Dipper was probably standing around waiting for him.

A soft shuffling sound caught his attention and looked over to see a daring little rat poking its head out from behind an old bookcase. The edges of Bill’s lips quirked up in the smile, he loved rats, they were so cute and far more clever than what the average human gave them credit for. They were also surprisingly useful.

Bill’s gaze flickered over to the Pines clan as he shoved his false eye back into his empty socket, the three humans were starting to get louder as they couldn’t agree on a method that would make the demon consider handing Dipper over. He slowly floated down a little closer to the floor and held his hand out to the rat as if he was holding something, making soft kissy noises to grab its attention. He made sure the aura he gave off was relaxed and welcoming, he couldn’t force the rat to come to him right now but he could make himself seem like a prime destination.

The rat came out from behind the bookcase and sat back on its haunches to run its little hands over its face. Its small, black eyes considered the demon and it started to inch toward him, occasionally running back when one of the humans’ voices rose in volume. Bill stayed patient continuing to beckon the rodent to him, willing himself to not lose his temper lest he scare the rat away.

The rat eventually made its way over to the summoning circle and Bill grinned down at it. The demon did his best to hold his hand over one of the candles, his fingers almost pressed flat against the force field.  Bill mouthed an apology as the rat wound up and jumped onto the candle, knocking it over. The rat squealed and bolted across the floor toward the bookshelf, hot wax quickly cooling in its fur.

“Well, it’s been fun but I have plans today!” Bill declared as the force field dropped and the others in the room turned to look at him with wide eyes. In a blink he was gone and he thought as he teleported back to the mindscape. He probably should have done a better job of covering his tracks when he dragged the kid in, he shrugged there was nothing he could do about it now.

He quickly found Dipper, the man having not wondered even a hallway away from where they had been.

“What was that about?” Dipper inquired getting up from the seat he had been waiting in. He had never seen Bill get pulled away like that, hell a little earlier the demon had ignored a summoning all together.

“Someone was just extra desperate.” Bill said with a dismissive wave, internally thankful that a spell like that could only be cast under very specific conditions. He pushed it out of his mind and reached down to grab Dipper’s hands, grinning at the human excitedly.

“Do you want to go checkout the city?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Its hard to make deals when the other doesn't want anything you have.
> 
> 'I tried to sell my soul last night, funny, he wouldn't even take a bite.' - Come With Me Now by KONGOS


	5. Chapter 5

The city was unrealistically, unsettling clean and perfect which sadly wasn’t offset by the oddness of the city’s inhabitants. Some were perfectly normal if dead-eyed while others were bizarre either in appearance or the sluggish, exaggerated movements they moved with. Dipper shivered watching them, the memories of dreams where he hadn’t been able to run viscerally making his stomach churn. He walked closer to Bill then he would have liked to admit.

“How does a little coffee date sound?” Bill inquired sending Dipper a quick wink and color rose traitorously in the mortal’s face.

“Sounds alright.” Dipper grumbled. Bill however beamed and hooked his arm around Dipper’s to lead him down the street. Dipper glanced around again and a new wave of discomfort fell over him. “So how does this place work exactly?”

Bill hummed softly as he considered the best way to explain the global mindscape.

“It’s a mindscape shared by all the inhabitants of your universe, everything you see here is contributed by somebody’s ideas or dreams. This city for example came to exist here through an author who writes dystopian novels while the castle we’re staying in was created by a child.” The demon explained and the multiple slow moving pedestrians they had passed finally made sense to Dipper.

“And the leopard shark?”

“Attacked someone in a dream and popped into existence here.” Bill shrugged as he answered. Dipper hummed in understanding, unsure how Bill knew where each thing came from but he supposed that was one of the benefits of being a dream demon.

“Is stuff popping into existence why all the vents in the castle are covered?” Dipper asked and Bill stiffened slightly.

“Yes and sometimes those things are very difficult to get rid off.” Bill grumbled but brightened when Dipper laughed under his breath. He released Dipper’s arm when they entered the quaint little cafe. “What do you want to drink?”

”Just a cup of black coffee.” Dipper replied as he sat down at a small table and Bill scrunched up his nose.

“You’re not in college anymore you can get something for the taste and not its ability to forcibly keep you conscious.” Bill told him but Dipper didn’t budge just meeting the demon’s gaze with his own deadpanned one. Bill eventually shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

He floated off to the counter leaving Dipper to his thoughts. He intertwined his fingers together and leaned his chin into them. The weight of everything started to settle on him, Bill had whisked him away and started making a lot of promises. The deals he had seen Bill make in the past came to mind, the demon always made good on his promises even if it was often in a monkey paw-esque way. There had to be some aspect of companionship he was missing. Something Bill planned on exploiting.

The heavy scent of dark coffee reached his nose and his unfocused eyes centered on the mug placed in front of him. He poured three packets of sugar into the drink and mixed it with a coffee straw before lifting the mug to his lips. It tasted off, fainter like his tongue was just remembering the taste instead of experiencing it.

“So have you thought about my proposal?” Bill inquired dragging a claw through the caramel stripped, chocolate dusted whip cream on top of his drink.

“I have, still don’t know what you get out of this.” Bill shoulders slouched dramatically as he sighed through his nose.

“Is it really that difficult to believe someone could take an interest in you Pine Tree?” Bill asked resting his his cheek in his hand. Dipper sat up straighter, heat pooling in his cheeks.

“N-no, I just don’t understand your interest in me when their are probably way more deserving people in the world.” He defended himself. Bill shrugged and took a long drag on his straw before answering.

“Possibly, probably, but I don’t have any interest in hunting those people down when I already know you.” He gathered some whip cream on his claw and licked it off. “You’re an interesting person kid and I think you would do interesting things with your powers.”

Dipper swallowed thickly and searched Bill’s face for anything resembling scheming. But there was nothing, none of the usual bravado or teasing he was used to. Genuineness looked weird on the demon. The mortal’s throat went dry as he tried to find words to respond with.

“Not many mortals become demons” Bill paused eyes cast down toward the table and he shifted in his seat, leaning forward on his elbows. “it tends to get lonely.”

The demon chewed his lower lip for a moment before reaching forward to place his hand over Dipper’s. His palm chilled Dipper’s hand while his coffee kept his palm warm.

“Surely you understand this.” Bill’s features were tight, jaw visibly clenched and after a few seconds of eye contact he dropped his gaze to something on the floor. Dipper struggled to speak around the breath caught in his airway. He brought his free hand up to his mouth and quickly cleared his throat.

“I do.” Dipper offered gently. “But I don’t have an answer for you yet, probably won’t for awhile.”

“I get it, take all the time you need.” Bill replied lifting his eyes and pulling his hand back. He smiled and Dipper felt oddly at peace. The demon took a sip of his sugary drink, clearing his throat of any emotion before he spoke again.

“Tell anyone I emotions outside of conniving sarcasm and you’ll only be able to communicate through a complicated system of quacking and wingdings.”

Dipper burst out laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Guess whose finding inspiration for their old billdips??? Hopefully some of you will still be interested in these things ^.^,
> 
> I legit couldn't think of a song for this chapter soo I guess be more chill is pretty rad and you should all check that out


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